I grew up watching those old Tolkien movies and always knew the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed out in New Zealand. Honestly, since the moment I saw Fellowship of the Ring as a kid, I've been dreaming about seeing those exact film spots with my own eyes. I'm finally making it happen on my upcoming vacation. I need a set of wheels to get around. Anyone know which local rental spots don't charge per mile? I don't want to get ripped off just because I'm driving long distances.
Those kiwi landscapes look absolutely unreal on screen, and seeing them in person hits different. You can easily spend weeks driving around both islands and still feel like you missed something. Hobbiton is a cool spot to check out since the movie set is still there. Over on the south island, the mountain views around Queenstown look exactly like the peaks from the movies.
You'll end up spending a ton of time on the highway going between those movie spots, so mileage limits will absolutely destroy your travel budget. A lot of agencies love to hide sneaky fees when they realize you're crossing from one town to another. You can rent a car in New Zealand here: https://getrentacar.com/en-US/new-zealand (https://getrentacar.com/en-US/new-zealand) . The listings show cars from actual locals who often skip those annoying distance restrictions entirely. You just pick a fuel-efficient model that handles winding mountain roads without drinking too much gas. That way you can drive out to the remote valley locations without worrying about the final bill.